DEM simulation of bulk materials
Simcenter EDEM
formerly Altair EDEM
See how rock, ore, soil, grain and powder move through your equipment, and where they block, spill or wear it, before you build.
40%
Shorter development cycle
AMAZONE coupled Simcenter EDEM with Simcenter Acusolve to optimise seed transport in pneumatic seed drills (Siemens case study).
Smart Expert
Support from engineers
Siemens-certified expertise, and a Top European Partner award for customer support.
What is Simcenter EDEM?
Simcenter EDEM, formerly Altair EDEM, is discrete element method (DEM) software from Siemens Digital Industries Software for simulating bulk and granular materials. It tracks individual particles and how they interact, so you can predict how coal, ores, soils, grains, tablets and powders flow through equipment, and the loads they put on it.
Start from pre-calibrated material models for rocks, ores, soils and powders, with multi-sphere or polyhedral particles
Run industry-scale systems of many millions of particles on CPU, GPU and multi-GPU solvers
Take material loads into FEA and MBD models, or couple EDEM with CFD for particle-fluid systems
Siemens clip: soil forces from Simcenter EDEM load an excavator model in Simcenter Motionsolve, with stresses shown on the boom.
Book a demo with an engineer Watch our EDEM webinar (in English)Developer
Siemens Digital Industries Software (Siemens acquired Altair in 2025)
Current release
Simcenter EDEM 2026.1 (June 2026)
Couples with
FEA and MBD tools, and CFD tools such as Simcenter STAR-CCM+
Altair users
Coming from Altair EDEM?
Siemens has renamed Altair EDEM and moved it into Simcenter. The changes focus on naming, packaging and integration, and Siemens calls the rebrand “additive, not disruptive”: it keeps the tools and workflows you rely on. See what the other former Altair tools are called now.
Renewing EDEM? Get a quoteName
Altair EDEM → Simcenter EDEM
Licence
Altair EDEM licence, from Altair, a partner or Volupe → send Henrik Pahlitzsch your set-up and renewal date for a Simcenter EDEM quote
Releases
Altair EDEM releases → Simcenter EDEM 2026.1 (June 2026), then a Simcenter release every June and December
Support
Altair support → Siemens Support Center. Bought through Volupe? You keep the same contacts.
Volupe
Altair channel partner → a Siemens Platinum Smart Expert Solutions Partner that sells, supports and trains every former Altair tool
Where DEM simulation is used
From quarry rock to coated tablets
Digging, loading and wear
Excavators, loaders and truck bodies in construction and mining handle anything from large rocks to cohesive soil. EDEM shows where blockage, spillage and wear are likely, and gives you material loads for FEA and MBD simulations.
Soil that changes with the season
Tractors, combines and forage harvesters work with crops, seeds and soils whose properties can vary with place and season. EDEM predicts material flow and the risk of blockage, wear and crop damage in agricultural machinery, and couples with multi-body dynamics.
Chutes, crushers and mills
In mining and mineral processing, chutes, crushers and mills are critical to productivity. EDEM shows how rock, ore and coal flow through them, from spillage and wear to mill yield and power demand. Longking used it to cut blockage risk with wet coal and reduce dust.
Charging with less segregation
Iron ore, coal, pellets and sinter are at the core of steelmaking. EDEM lets engineers examine blast-furnace charging devices to minimise segregation and predict wear. ArcelorMittal used it to optimise a sinter cooler charging chute and improve sinter cooling efficiency.
From powder to tablet
In pharmaceutical, food and chemical processes, EDEM simulates mixing, die filling, granulation and milling of powders, tablets, capsules and granules. Its custom-physics API adds wet coating, agglomeration and breakage, and coupled to Simcenter STAR-CCM+, EDEM also simulates particle-fluid systems.
Coating in minutes, not hours
The 2026.1 release speeds up spray coating on polyhedral particles: Siemens reports coating-thickness analysis up to 100× faster, so tablet coating or seasoning runs take minutes instead of hours. You can test more nozzle positions and spray rates in the same time.
Related tools
Often used with Simcenter EDEM
Multiphysics CFD
Simcenter STAR-CCM+
Mesh your CAD, solve flow, heat and coupled physics, then compare design variants in the same tool.
→
System simulation
Simcenter Amesim
Model hydraulic, thermal, electrical and mechanical systems together in 1D, early in development.
→
Formerly Altair OptiStruct
Simcenter OptiStruct
Structural FEA and design optimisation.
→
Questions about Simcenter EDEM
Your EDEM contacts
Technical questions
Johan Dahlberg
Application Support Specialist, Ph.D.
Former Altair tools · LinkedIn
How is Simcenter EDEM priced?
Each set-up is quoted individually, based on how many engineers need access and the licence term; Siemens says the two updates a year are included in the licence fee. If you already run Altair EDEM, tell us how you license it today (for example Altair Units or a standalone licence) and when it is due for renewal, then request an EDEM licence quote. Henrik Pahlitzsch handles EDEM licences and renewals.
What changed for Altair EDEM users?
Siemens completed the acquisition of Altair on 26 March 2025. With the June 2026 release, former Altair products joined Simcenter, and Altair EDEM became Simcenter EDEM; the current release is Simcenter EDEM 2026.1. Altair’s support services have moved to the Siemens Support Center, and from December 2026 Simcenter products get two major releases a year. Volupe supported these tools as an Altair channel partner, and you keep the same contacts for licensing, support and training.
Which materials and particle shapes can EDEM model?
Siemens names large rocks, fine powders, grains, fibres and tablets, modelled with the multi-sphere method or a polyhedral particle solver; AMAZONE, for example, modelled wheat as non-spherical, ellipsoidal particles. Validated physics models cover dry, sticky and compressible behaviour, and pre-calibrated material models for rocks, ores, soils and powders give you a starting point. Custom physics through the API adds effects such as wet coating, agglomeration, breakage and magnetic particles.
How large a particle system can EDEM handle?
Siemens says EDEM handles complex, industry-scale particle systems of many millions of particles, with fast and scalable compute on CPU, GPU and multi-GPU solvers. ArcelorMittal used that performance to simulate its sinter cooler charging system and validate it against plant segregation data. Ask our engineers what your case needs in hardware.
How does Simcenter EDEM differ from DEM in Simcenter STAR-CCM+?
Both use the discrete element method. In Simcenter STAR-CCM+, DEM extends the Lagrangian multiphase model inside the CFD simulation, as our multiphase modelling article explains. Simcenter EDEM is dedicated DEM software: it comes with material libraries and passes material loads to FEA and MBD tools. You can also combine the two: Siemens couples EDEM to STAR-CCM+ for particle-fluid systems. Ask our engineers which fits your process.
What is new in Simcenter EDEM 2026.1?
Siemens highlights three changes. A human-readable JSON input format, with a JSON parser that ships as a Python package, lets you script set-ups, run design of experiments and fit EDEM into custom and AI-driven workflows. A unified custom model API runs one code base on the CPU and GPU solvers. And Siemens says spray coating simulations on polyhedral particles now finish in minutes instead of hours.
Does Volupe offer EDEM support and training?
Yes for support: Johan Dahlberg answers technical questions on EDEM, and once you have a licence, Siemens’ Support Center adds best practices and troubleshooting guides. For training, EDEM is not among the scheduled courses on our training page, so tell us what your team needs. Our recorded EDEM webinars include “From Particles to Performance”, in English from Volupe Sweden (April 2026), and five in Polish, among them “Bulk material and motion simulation for heavy machinery”.
Talk to an engineer in your region
Every Volupe business developer holds an engineering degree. Find your regional contact below, or send us a message.
Ask us about Simcenter EDEM
Use this form for licence quotes, demos, training and technical questions.
What happens next
- A reply within one day.
- A scoping call with one of our engineers.
- A quote, demo or other next step that fits your enquiry.
After purchase: support from Volupe simulation engineers.